When Orion returned to himself, he watched as Elliott glared at the core of the purified, former Remnant of Corruption.


    He took a step back and patiently waited for the man''s choice.


    "..."


    Elliott considered the two options. After a brief deliberation, he threw the core in the air.


    ''So be it.''


    Orion maintained his stance and looked as the white core fell toward the ground. Leaning forward, Elliott dropped his hand to Vanitas'' hilt and drew it from its scabbard.


    *Swing*


    "..."


    To his surprise, the sword missed Miasma''s core. Before it could fall to the ground, he pierced his sword into the ground and grabbed the falling bead.


    "Astonishing. I still have hope for him."


    Rolling the bead in his palm, he frowned.


    "Orion, weren''t you hoping for me to destroy it?"


    Answering his question, he shrugged.


    "I already gave my answer. If you spare him, I have nothing to add."


    With a flick of his wrist, Elliott threw his father''s core at Orion.


    "Bring him back if you must. With his power in your hands, I bet there''s nothing to worry about."


    "Indeed."


    Catching the core, Orion nodded.


    The matter with Miasma was settled rather rapidly. Both men couldn''t care less about him now that his sinister presence wasn''t weighting on the world.


    "I''ll put this away for the moment. There are more important matters I have to settle now that I have returned."


    Orion looked past Elliott''s shoulder and looked at a group of people waiting.


    He immediately noticed Layla, the former Apostle he revived on a whim, testing the limits of his powers.


    "I see there are a few people I need to be acquainted with. Many I do not recognize..."


    His eyes fell on the twin sisters managing the inn near the harbor of Hocride.


    "And some I have met before."


    Chelsea and Kelsea bent forward professionally the instant they felt Orion''s gaze upon them.


    ...


    The Remnants greeted Orion one by one.


    With everyone sharing a few words with him, he began to understand what went down while he was away.


    Each Remnant born from a Valkyrie had been gathered by Henrietta to teach his companions and friends. For that, he was grateful.


    To their surprise, they weren''t betrayed by the expectations they had toward him.


    Orion was kind, smart, and respectful. His words were especially impactful around Keleanos, who appreciated the man''s wits and actual train of thought.


    Both were kindred spirits, searching to answer the questions they pondered incessantly.


    The twins Chelsea and Kelsea were drawn instinctively toward him now that they were out of their business, attracted by the wealth he accumulated over the years.


    They asked him many questions about how he gathered so much money and why he never spent more than he needed, resisting the greed that came alongside it.


    Layla was a little shy to finally have a discussion with the man who saved her life, but they quickly found common ground in the protection of humans.


    She was working hard to make up for her mistakes, and under Elliott''s watchful eyes, her accomplishments as a Remnant grew exponentially.


    Heto was the last to approach Orion. The gentle giant thought that they would be mixing like oil and water thanks to his nature, but to his surprise, Orion actually respected that.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But most of all, Orion immediately asked him if they would be training together, to which Heto gently refused. With a faint smile, Orion shrugged it off and let the matter go.


    Then, as Orion returned to his companions, he looked down at his shadow.


    Two bright eyes stared at him, as if the abyss itself glared back in return.


    "Nylon. Is that how you planned to great me?"


    His shadow twisted before a figure ripped through the dark matter.


    A beastman with long ears and a thin but muscular build appeared at him.


    "Orion, brother, not even a surprised look?"


    "I went through more terrifying experiences to be scared by that."


    With a smile, Orion wrapped his arm around his brother''s neck.


    "I''m glad to see you. Mom and dad always believed you would return."


    Picturing the couple in his mind, Orion felt a small force pulling his heart. He missed these people more than he thought.


    "Thanks for helping everyone."


    He removed his arm from Nylon''s neck and stretched his arm toward him, ready for a handshake.


    "That''s why brothers are for."


    Grabbing his hand firmly, the two brothers smiled at each other.


    ''I''ll have to meet with Dylan and Eliza in the near future. I can''t let them think I''m ignoring them.''


    As his thoughts were starting to settle down after meeting everyone, he heard someone coughing dramatically.


    ''Haven''t you forgotten someone?''


    The grumbling voice of a woman echoed in his head, replacing his previous thoughts.


    ''Of course not. I was on my way to deal with that.''


    ''With that? Am I an object now?''


    He chuckled lightly.


    "Let''s bring you back."


    Not seeing the three Lords around here, Orion assumed that they were dealing with their cities, and he was correct.


    Kamala, Florian, and Eric were all busy redirecting resources to the various places that were hit by the invasions sent by Miasma.


    As he approached his companions, he stopped next to Henrietta and Titania.


    "I will need both of you. Would you mind coming with me?"


    "..."


    Henrietta knew the meaning of his words better than anyone else. Titania simply nodded, following behind him without uttering a single word.


    "Everyone! Let''s go home."


    After so many years, Orion walked toward his house with a bright smile, surrounded by his entire family.


    The Remnants went to continue their business, while Orion finished the important matters he needed to deal with.


    ...


    "Sirius!"


    The instant Orion saw his dog, he ran toward him. Hearing the voice of his master, which he hadn''t heard in a year, the large white dog lifted his ears up.


    "Woof!"


    Upon seeing Orion approaching him, Sirius ran toward him with every ounce of energy in his body.


    When the two reunited, Sirius sat in front of him, wagging his tail vigorously. Orion kneeled in front of him and patted his friend energetically.


    Then he threw all pretense away and hugged him.


    "I missed you! I''m glad you were alright after that battle."


    Ruffling Sirius'' fur while sinking his face into it, he felt at peace.


    Everything was going well. Everyone was alright, and even though they went through a lot, they were still waiting for him, going as far as to create a device to bring him back.


    Showing the same affection, Sirius began to lick his face the moment Orion pulled back.


    "Easy! Haha~"


    Seeing this heartwarming scene, they all felt something change in their hearts.


    They were moved by this scene of tranquility, which was something Orion rarely showed in the past.


    All they knew was the anxiety in his heart, the exhaustion of his incessant training, and the fury of revenge.


    This Orion wasn''t the same. Henrietta then recalled the words Reon spoke to her in after they had brought him out of the crystal.


    —


    "Orion will have to transcend himself to become strong enough. Hopefully, he will realize what is important before it is too late."


    —


    ''He drastically changed. It''s to wonder if he is the same person anymore.''


    ''Tetra... Were you responsible for that change?''


    Thinking about her friend''s involvement, she smiled while looking at the sky.


    ''Transcendence. I wonder what it means?''


    The answer to her question would be answered in the near future.


    ...


    The front door opened.


    After taking a few minutes to caress Sirius, Orion went back to his home.


    "..."


    He inhaled the smell of the house he missed. The smell of wood, soap from the kitchen, and the coffee he wanted to drink so much again all returned to him.


    "I see you''ve been drinking a lot of coffee. I thought everyone hated it."


    As he entered the main corridor, he smiled over his shoulder.


    ''Home sweet home.''


    Orion wanted to turn to the right and brew himself a cup of coffee, but he refrained from doing so.


    "Alright."


    Making up his mind, he walked deeper inside the house, ignoring the stairs.


    "Orion?"


    Confused, Amelia and the others followed him, while Henrietta and Titania were deeply focused on his back.


    "Isn''t that..."


    Placing his hand on the handle of one door, he nodded, answering Amelia''s question.


    "Tetra''s room."


    With heavy feelings, he opened the door.


    *Creak*


    A sweet smell, one Orion was used to smell in the past, wafted in the entire bedroom.


    He observed the surroundings and found what he was looking for.


    Walking inside, he continued until his feet stopped in front of the bed.


    Laying perfectly still, her breathing so shallow it required an attentive observation to notice, Tetra''s body, void of a soul, reflected in his eyes.


    Clenching his hands tightly, he sighed.


    "This is still painful, even after all this time. I can''t help but remember that day."


    The lifeless body of this sweet and obsessed woman, sprawled on the floor, was a memory that would forever haunt his mind.


    This would remain his punishment, denouncing his lack of attention and power at the time.


    He glanced over his shoulder, seeing everyone enter.


    The now-crowded room was a gallery for the next miracle Orion would create.


    "Henrietta and Titania, you can simply wait and watch."


    "Do you not need us?"


    Surprised, Titania asked.


    "I do, but all you have to actually care about is checking for any problems after I''m done."


    The Remnants appeared shocked. It meant that Orion himself would do the work.


    "I''m beginning."


    Everyone knew that Orion needed to concentrate, so they closed their mouths tightly.


    *Rumble*


    The air inside the room began to distort.


    "I''ll rewind time, but only for her."


    The sigil of the Remnant of Space and Time appeared in his eyes, and the symbol of the number III flashed vividly.


    Everything around Orion began to stop moving. As he lifted his hand, a pink flame escaped the area of his chest where his heart was beating.


    That flame freely began to caress his clothes. He made sure the flame never separated from his body, as it would instantly vanish from existence.


    It crawled over his shoulder, traveled down his left arm, and followed down toward his hand.


    Resting in his open hand, the flame stayed perfectly motionless. It was a breathtaking sight, which left everyone speechless.


    "You better come back."


    With a smile, Orion violently bent forward and slammed his hand on Tetra''s chest.


    *BOOM*


    A pulsing shockwave, which remained contained a few centimeters behind him, began to beat repeatedly.


    *THUMP*


    Shockwaves akin to heartbeats pushed against the barrier Orion erected behind him.


    This power was a shock to everyone, but it was just like him to protect them instead of sending the group away beforehand.


    The pulsing gradually took off. A single drop of blood dropped from Orion''s mouth, but he had already healed the injury.


    Only he could survive the countereffect of Tetra''s power, and he was prepared to shoulder it in its entirety.


    "Come on!"


    This was starting to get far too long for him.


    "You better be joking, or I''ll get seriously angry!"


    Forcing the power of time out of his body, his hair began to defy gravity.


    *THUMP* *THUMP*


    Two beats echoed each half a second, gradually picking up even more as Orion gave his everything.


    "Tetra! Open those damn eyes!"


    The tension was visible, to the point Orion was sweating profusely.


    It took everything out of him to bring back the last companion he made. Even then, he wasn''t sure if he would succeed.


    But Orion was unwilling to give up.


    Even if it had to take everything out of him, he would turn his promise into a reality.


    He would bring Tetra back to life and make her his ninth woman.


    Suddenly, the beating began to lower in intensity.


    Orion opened his eyes wide, feeling the detached source in his core vanish.


    "Oh..."


    He moved a step back and took a moment to gather his bearing.


    *Thump*


    Tetra''s chest began to move up and down. Her breathing stabilized, and a groan escaped her mouth.


    "Hng..."


    Closing his eyes with a genuinely satisfied grin, he breathed a long, tired sigh.


    "Hey..."


    As Tetra opened her eyes and smiled at him, she greeted him, seeing his face instead of seeing through his eyes.


    "Welcome back."


    Orion sat next to her and patted her head.


    Another miracle happened, as Tetra''s soul and source fused with her body.